The Orphan Master's Son

A Novel

By: Adam Johnson

Narrated by: Tim Kang, Josiah D. Lee, James Kyson Lee, Adam Johnson

Length: 19 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Pulitzer Prize, Fiction, 2013

An epic novel and a thrilling literary discovery, The Orphan Master’s Son follows a young man’s journey through the icy waters, dark tunnels, and eerie spy chambers of the world’s most mysterious dictatorship, North Korea.

Pak Jun Do is the haunted son of a lost mother - a singer “stolen” to Pyongyang - and an influential father who runs Long Tomorrows, a work camp for orphans. There the boy is given his first taste of power, picking which orphans eat first and which will be lent out for manual labor. Recognized for his loyalty and keen instincts, Jun Do comes to the attention of superiors in the state, rises in the ranks, and starts on a road from which there will be no return.

Considering himself “a humble citizen of the greatest nation in the world,” Jun Do becomes a professional kidnapper who must navigate the shifting rules, arbitrary violence, and baffling demands of his Korean overlords in order to stay alive. Driven to the absolute limit of what any human being could endure, he boldly takes on the treacherous role of rival to Kim Jong Il in an attempt to save the woman he loves, Sun Moon, a legendary actress “so pure, she didn’t know what starving people looked like.”

Part breathless thriller, part story of innocence lost, part story of romantic love, The Orphan Master’s Son is also a riveting portrait of a world heretofore hidden from view: a North Korea rife with hunger, corruption, and casual cruelty but also camaraderie, stolen moments of beauty, and love. A towering literary achievement, The Orphan Master’s Son ushers Adam Johnson into the small group of today’s greatest writers.

From the Hardcover edition.

©2011 Adam Johnson (P)2011 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

• Winner of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

“An addictive novel of daring ingenuity, a study of sacrifice and freedom in a citizen-eating dynasty, and a timely reminder that anonymous victims of oppression are also human beings who love - The Orphan Master’s Son is a brave and impressive book.” (David Mitchell, author of The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet)

“I’ve never read anything like it. This is truly an amazing reading experience, a tremendous accomplishment. I could spend days talking about how much I love this book. It sounds like overstatement, but no. The Orphan Master’s Son is a masterpiece.” (Charles Bock, author of Beautiful Children)

“Adam Johnson has pulled off literary alchemy, first by setting his novel in North Korea, a country that few of us can imagine, then by producing such compelling characters, whose lives unfold at breakneck speed. I was engrossed right to the amazing conclusion. The result is pure gold, a terrific novel.” (Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone)

Incredible Book!!!

FINALLY!!!! An audible worth listening to from start to finish...the story was a sad, uplifting tale of persecution, love and redemption. I've listened to so many five star books that were disappointing and unfulfilling, but this one was a gem!!

Great book but, dfficult to follow at times.

I enjoyed the book and it's characters but it became difficult to follow at times. It's narration is one of the best I've listened to and its gloomy theme is appropriate. Overall, great insight into a mysterious society.

Raw and Real

Your worst nightmares are lived by other people. Though this a work of fiction, it is the stories of humans enduring inhuman acts at the hands of soulless military commanders. There, but for grace of God ...

Enter the mind of N. Korea

you will never think the same of N. Korea after this reading. We are more than just distant from N. Korea where all things, but no person, is free.

Insight into a very dark place

What made the experience of listening to The Orphan Master's Son the most enjoyable?

Author did a terrific job of taking the facts about a truly weird country and weaving them into a believable and exciting story. I enjoyed every minute of it.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

A very fine narrator. Gave the book a lot of punch and drama.

Highly recommended

Simply put, Adam Johnson brings North Korea to life, in all its nightmarish complexity. By having his characters experience the realities first-hand, Johnson gives the reader a total emersion experience. He puts us there - on the streets of Pyongyang - fishing vessels - streets and apartment buildings - prisons and cells.

The narrators played a significant role in my enjoyment - if one can call it that. The director did a fine job of folding them in, and the subtle changes of pace and tone made it easier to follow the interwoven time lines and characters.

Johnson et al bring daily headlines to life. It is disturbing, but it is the reality for millions of people. Together, the novel as presented by the narrators is a not-to-be-missed experience.

Great listen, despite some poor narration.

I loved this book!! My 20 yo son and I listened to it on a camping trip, and he loved it as well. What an amazing and frightening look at a totally disfunctional society. The only downside is that two of the narrators were poor. One, who was doing the chapters involving the North Korean news announcements, sounded like a person with a Brooklyn accent trying to do a Korean accent and doing a poor job. The other doing the interrogator character sounded like a female, but the character was male. Regardless, this was only distracting to a minor degree. I wish they had simply had the main narrator do the entire book. In any event, aside from that, I highly recommend it and so does my son!!!

Stunning

If you could sum up The Orphan Master's Son in three words, what would they be?

An intricate novel of "the most democratic nation on Earth-North Korea." The author weaves a tale of conflict, lies, deception and human nature. Well worth the read.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Pak was portrayed as having so many facets and experiences.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrators bring depth to the characters.

Who was the most memorable character of The Orphan Master's Son and why?

Commander Ga was the most memorable because of his cruelty.

Riveting

What made the experience of listening to The Orphan Master's Son the most enjoyable?

I didn't know what I was in for with this story and was mesmerized by the insight into North Korea..stayed with me for weeks after I finished. Great story. So glad it won the Pulitzer.

Very Interesting Book!!

Where does The Orphan Master's Son rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I listen to a lot of audiobooks..and this book would probably be in my top 7. But i wouldn't read it again anytime soon because of the horrors of North Korea that book describes in a very graphic way.

If you could take any character from The Orphan Master's Son out to dinner, who would it be and why?

All the hungry people

Any additional comments?

Give it a try...When you first start to listen to this book, you would probably think that its very boring and not interesting at all. Do not worry it gets a lot better after 6 chapters.